Music Artist Management – Music Industry Management That Rocks!
Good music artist management can be the difference between success and failure in the music business, but the problem is that nobody in the world cares as much about your music as you do. There are also a lot of managers out there who are just in it for the glamour and will leave you with no success at the end of it.
So when you decide to work with a manager you need to think long and hard about it before you sign the contact. Bad music industry management can drag your whole career down!
In this article I’m going to give you an insight into some of the things you need to look out for in the music artist management contract:
1. Keep the contract simple and easy to understand, just cover all the basics in a clear and concise format.
2. The contract should be fare to both parties, even if your potential manager has signed successful acts in the past don’t give them a better deal that you should.
3. Trust your manager at the start of the relationship otherwise don’t sign.
4. The length of the contract – I like to look for a one year contract with the option to extend at the end of the year if things are going well.
5. Expectations – this applies to both parties and lays out what your manager is agreeing to do to move your music career forward. He or she will also set out expectation for you like “don’t get wasted before every show”:-)
6. The fee – this is a simple one, you should not give a manager more than 20%.
7. Expenses – it costs money to promote your music and the manager should be reimbursed for all the expenses laid out. Ask for all receipts and pay them once a month. You should set out a maximum in the management contract for this.
Final thoughts.
Music artist management is a fluid business and you need to look at your agreement often to make sure that it’s fare on everyone involved.
If you start to get some success you should speak to a music layer and make sure that it’s a legal document and protects your interests.
